The Portland daily press., 1887-06-21
RUINED BY a YACHT.
What it Costs to Buy and Run a Large
Pleasure Craft.
New York Trlbune.l

In the two advertisements which follow.
apparently having so little in common, Is
contained briefly the preface and sequal to
one mans history for year:
WANTED-Bids for building schooner Yacht.
1zO feet on water line. Plans and specifications
can DC obtained by addressing j. 7. g.. this office
WANTED.Employment in any honorable ca
paclty where uying wages can be earned. Ad-
i. g., this office.
These two paragraphs tell in few words
the story Of man who aimed at a romance
and hit drama, who put wheat in the hop
per and found bran in the bin. Both Of
these seemingly commonplace paragraphs
were penDed by the same hand The first
appeared in marine journal in January,
1886, and the latter in daily paper almost
exactly year later. The author of them
was j. Tarleton Caulktight, who figured for
twelve month in the newspapers as "a
prominent member Of the Way Back Yacht
Club and owner of the fast schooner yacht
Grasshopper'
Caulktight struggled through his boyhood
on farm somewhere in the wilds of West
ern Pennsylvania. He ate mush and milk at
his fathers board until he got so old that the
name Jimmie" applied to him by his par
ents, grated harshly on his ears, and he
started out to dig the basement of fortune
on his own hook. As James L. Caulktight
he found place yawning for him in a Pitts
burg dry goods palace" and he would
doubtless have been measuring calicOes and
selling pins yet had not his father died and
left him snug little fortune Of $4,000 in
cold cash.
Mr. Caulktight was ambitious to shine I'm
some capacity, and with such a lining for
MS pockets he saw no reason why he should
not cast rays in New York. Hither he came.
therefore. and began to look about for most
advantageous way to dispose of his sheckels.
AS IL happened, among the first persons he
met In the metropolis, was young man who,
though not wealthy, had by some hook or
crook been made member of the Way Back
Yacht Club. Though not a yacht owner
himself, this. young man was enthusiastic
over the sport, and in short time had pre-
vailed upon Caulktight that to make his
marx In New York he must own yacht.
Having satisfied the membership commit
tee that he had money enough to entitle him
10 De called gentleman" he was at once
enrolled as j.. TarletOn Caulktight on the
books Of the Way Back Yacht Club. AL
most before ne had learned the difference be-
tween keel and deck, he had been in
yeigled into buying the plans and specitica-
tons OF a big schooner yacht, by a naval ar
ehitect, with plausible story, and had paid
$3.50 for them. He was advised that the
cneapest way TO get the boat built was to ad-
yertise for bids. He was rather appalled, at
the prices demanded, but being assured by
friends that, with such vessel as the plans
called Tor, he could win enough prizes to pay
the expenses of running her, and probably
sell her when he wanted to for good deal
more than she cost him, he decided not to
wayer from his original intention. A con-
tract was signed, and in three months the
Grasshopper, keel schooner, 134 feet over
al, 10 feet water-line, "a feet beam, IA feet
depth of hold. and 10 feet draught OF water,
was ready to go into commission. Her cost
up to this time had been over $4,000, divided
in about this way:
a FAIRY Jones, designer. $500
Henry z Hianceaay. builder. ;.....;........ $4,000
structlop; $500
y; u; \; oteoplns, sparS 1900
TTnhiip T a, Lot rlgger. $500
John M. Woodeutter, racing and cruising